A Guide to Cognitive Therapy for Individuals and Health Professionals

Cognitive Therapy

What is cognitive therapy?
Cognitive therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on current problems instead of on the past. It has been scientifically tested and found to be effective for many kinds of emotional disorders including anxiety and depression. In fact, it is often the treatment of choice for many disorders. It is usually time-limited, lasting approximately 10-20 sessions.

What is the theory behind cognitive therapy?
The way you think about events influences how you feel and behave. You can change your thinking, and that will change the way you feel and behave. Cognitive therapy helps you identify your negative thinking and replace it with healthier thinking.

One of the fundamental assumptions of cognitive therapy is that no matter how well you understand your negative beliefs, insight alone will rarely lead to change. You may feel better knowing why you are unhappy because knowledge gives the impression of being useful and curative. But, it is unlikely that you will actually get better and stay better unless you make a habit of challenging your negative thinking and replacing it.

What is negative thinking?
Negative thinking is distorted thinking that is not supported by the facts. For example, if you have low self-esteem, you will tend to focus on evidence that supports that belief and ignore evidence that doesn’t support it. You selectively ignore the facts which leads to distorted thinking.

Furthermore negative thinking tends to be absolute and fixed. You tend to take an all-or-nothing approach to your thinking and you are resistant to change. For example, you may think that you’re a failure at everything, and you may be resistant to hearing encouraging advice from friends.

What causes negative thinking?
Negative thinking is usually based on the underlying beliefs you learned growing up. If you learned to see the world in a negative and absolute way, you will probably take that approach as an adult.

How can you get the most out of cognitive therapy?
Ask yourself what you would like to change. Think about specific areas or problems in your life that you would like to handle better.

Write out your thought records. Don’t just read about cognitive therapy. Do it. Writing down your thoughts and healthier alternatives helps you incorporate them into your life.

Become mindful of your negative thinking during the day so that you can catch yourself. Practice will help you develop new coping skills and enjoy a happier life.

What is behavioral therapy? CBT is really two forms of therapy: cognitive and behavioral. Behavioral therapy is sometimes used initially with patients who are too depressed to change their thinking. It encourages them to accomplish simple tasks, which gradually improves their sense of efficacy so that later they are ready to look at their thinking. But in most cases, individuals are encouraged to start directly with cognitive therapy.

History of Cognitive Therapy

In the 1950s, American psychologist Albert Ellis introduced Rational Therapy in which people were taught the A-B-C approach for dealing with uncomfortable situations. The A-B-C approach states that when a person is confronted with an adversity A, their beliefs B, will influence the way they respond to that adversity and lead to emotional and behavioral consequences C.

If the beliefs B, are rigid, absolute, and unrealistic, the consequences C, will likely be self-defeating and destructive. If the beliefs B, are flexible and constructive, the consequences C, will likely be self-helping and constructive. People can change their lives and their consequences by D, disputing and challenging their beliefs.

Rational therapy was partly developed as a reaction to psychoanalysis, in which it was assumed that understanding your negative beliefs was the most important part of self-change.

In the 1960s, American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck introduced Cognitive Therapy partly based on the ideas of Albert Ellis, and used it as a treatment for depression. Beck developed the idea of the thought record, in which patients could challenge their thinking and look for better alternatives. He also developed self-reporting measures of depression and anxiety including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).

Learn cognitive therapy and cbt. Also covered are cognitive behavioral therapy and negative thinking, including cognitive therapy anxiety and cognitive therapy depression techniques. Find how to overcome negative thinking patterns and distorted thinking. Cognitive behavioural therapy, cognitive therapy techniques, and cbt techniques are covered. CBT thought record examples and templates are provided to help you with cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Also learn about the history of cognitive therapy and rational therapy relating to Albert Ellis and Aaron T. Beck.